A Long-Awaited Kiss, The Assessment Concludes

"Not enough."

"Even a mid-level mage, or even a high-level mage, that still won't let me gain a foothold in the Mu Clan."

Mu Ning Xue's gaze remained calm, but when she mentioned the 'Mu Clan,' a faint trace of cold indifference flickered across her eyes.

Qin Yuan was silent for a moment before asking, "Is returning to the Mu Clan really that important to your branch?"

Hearing this.

"Why do you say that?" Mu Ning Xue looked at Qin Yuan with some confusion.

Returning to the main clan—wasn't that the wish of every collateral clansman?

Her mother felt that way, her father felt that way, and as their daughter, inheriting her parents' will seemed only natural.

Even so, there were still many things she didn't understand.

"It's nothing."

Qin Yuan shook his head, offering a faint smile. "Having a goal is a good thing. At least it can become the motivation for your efforts."

Hearing this, Mu Ning Xue fell silent.

Returning to the Mu Clan?

What filled her heart more was still her mother...

Sensing the atmosphere growing a bit heavy, Qin Yuan knew exactly what Mu Ning Xue was thinking.

He tightened his grip on her cold hand, raised their intertwined fingers, and smiled. "Don't put pressure on yourself. Don't forget, I'm always here."

"Mm..."

Mu Ning Xue didn't deny it, letting out a soft hum as faint as a mosquito's buzz.

In her heart, Qin Yuan held an extremely high position.

She never doubted the words Qin Yuan spoke or the promises he made—she only believed.

"Let's work hard together."

Qin Yuan chuckled lightly, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

As someone with 'God's Perspective,' he could tell Mu Ning Xue everything about the Ice Crystal Brake Bow, letting her know the Mu Clan's schemes early and thus be on guard.

But that guard might not escape the Mu Clan's notice. If they didn't find out, all would be well; if they did, the consequences would be unpredictable.

Moreover, behind Mu Ning Xue stood Mu Zhuoyun and a group of collateral clansmen.

Judging from how things played out in the original story, most of those clansmen could only share in good fortune, not hardship. Such people were useless to keep around.

So, rather than interfering early and letting these 'maggots' escape unscathed, it was better to let things follow their original course. When the time was ripe, he would step forward and reveal everything.

And most importantly, Mu Ning Xue's current cultivation was too weak. Knowing too much would only bring her unnecessary worry, with no benefit at all.

"The assessment is almost over. I need to go."

Mu Ning Xue said this, then stood up.

But before she could lift her foot to leave, a pulling force came from her right hand. Caught off guard, she was pulled into Qin Yuan's arms.

For a moment, their faces were inches apart, as if they could feel each other's breathing.

Their eyes met for a long time, the atmosphere indescribable.

"Let go... mmph!"

Before Mu Ning Xue could finish her words, her eyes widened as she stared at the scene in disbelief.

Qin Yuan was kissing her!

Yet, she felt no anger at all—instead, there was a strange joy.

Back when they played house, she had kissed Qin Yuan. Now that they were grown up, he was returning the favor.

This long-lost feeling... wasn't so bad.

Gradually, she closed her clear, cold, and bright eyes, savoring the moment.

A long while later.

"Qin Yuan, don't push your luck!"

Mu Ning Xue glared at Qin Yuan with a mix of shame and anger.

They had been kissing just fine, but then Qin Yuan's hands started wandering, actually daring to...

"Ahem." Qin Yuan coughed in feigned seriousness, forcing an awkward smile. "My hands have a mind of their own. It was a subconscious move."

Mu Ning Xue stared coldly at Qin Yuan.

'Hands have a mind of their own'—there was no way she believed that nonsense from Qin Yuan.

Touching was bad enough, but then he rubbed.

Rubbing was bad enough, but then he squeezed.

Squeezing was bad enough... what the hell!

Even with Mu Ning Xue's good temper, that sudden jolt of pain had cracked her composure.

"Hmph, let's go!"

She shook her hand to leave, but couldn't shake him off.

With no other choice, she had to drag Qin Yuan along, storming off ahead in a huff.

"Heh." Qin Yuan shook his head with a light laugh, not resisting, letting Mu Ning Xue pull him along.

Like a couple having a small quarrel, they walked one ahead and one behind toward the training grounds.

On the training grounds.

By the time Qin Yuan and Mu Ning Xue returned, the magic assessment was already winding down, ending with the "connection kid" Mo Fan making a stunning impression.

Because of Qin Yuan's involvement, Mo Fan and the Mu family hadn't clashed over anything.

Of course, with Mo Fan's outstanding talent, Mu Zhuoyun still had Mu He extend an invitation, hoping to bring him into the Mu family and nurture him.

Unfortunately, Mo Fan was someone who cherished freedom by nature and disliked being constrained, so he politely declined.

Mu Zhuoyun felt a twinge of regret but wasn't disappointed.

After all, he had a prospective son-in-law with even greater talent.

"Went to see Qin Yuan?" Mu Zhuoyun asked knowingly as his daughter returned.

"Mm."

Mu Ning Xue didn't hide it.

Hearing this, Mu Zhuoyun's face instinctively darkened—the ache of a father's heart, hard to let go.

Even knowing the two were close and would surely marry in the future, seeing it with his own eyes still stung.

The little coat he had painstakingly raised was now being worn by Qin Yuan.

"That brat, if he ever dares to wrong Ning Xue... Hmph!" Mu Zhuoyun shot a hostile glance at the figure below that had just returned to its spot.

Qin Yuan seemed to sense something and looked up, catching Mu Zhuoyun's displeased expression.

That particular displeasure of a father-in-law meeting his son-in-law for the first time.

"Heh."

Qin Yuan grinned, completely unafraid.

"What does that brat mean by that?" Mu Zhuoyun raised an eyebrow, annoyed. "Stealing my daughter and then provoking me to my face—infuriating!"

Beside him, Mu Ning Xue quietly watched the scene.

She thought it was rather nice like this.

"The magic assessment is officially concluded."

"The school will divide everyone into regular and advanced classes based on your assessment results. Shortly, you can check the bulletin board."

"Now, please exit in an orderly manner."

Principal Zhu stepped to the center of the podium and announced loudly.

As his voice rang out, the students and teachers gathered on the training grounds quickly dispersed, returning to their respective classes.

The school's bulletin board was soon updated with the class assignments.

Unsurprisingly, Qin Yuan landed in the advanced class, and as number one—symbolizing the most talented mage in the class.

Over the next few months, Qin Yuan continued to train diligently.

As for the Mortal-grade Stardust Magic Artifact assigned to the advanced class, to Qin Yuan, it was no different from a child's toy.

Qin Yuan wasn't stingy either; he gave his allotted usage time to classmates in need, telling them to keep it quiet.

In this way, Qin Yuan's standing in the advanced class shot straight up.

Trading a Stardust Magic Artifact that was useless to him for the recognition and admiration of many classmates was a good deal.

Connections were better to have than not.

Take Xu Zhaoting from the advanced class, for example—a Lightning Element genius, yet stuck beneath two monsters like Qin Yuan and Mo Fan. It was truly frustrating.

So when Qin Yuan generously gave him a month's worth of Stardust Magic Artifact usage time, Xu Zhaoting was deeply grateful, calling him "Brother Yuan" without missing a beat.

Still, Qin Yuan always felt "Brother Yuan" sounded a bit off, so he told him to just use his full name instead.

More notably, Mo Fan's Little Loach had transformed ever since resonating with the White Tiger Vessel.

Because of that, he didn't break the Stardust Magic Artifact assigned by the school but secretly gave his allotted time to Zhang Xiaohou.